Young giver sells lemonade to help pelicans

At first, 4-year-old Jonathan Bush wanted to sell all of his toys to help save the oiled pelicans.

Matthew HInton, The Times-PicayuneFaubourg St. John neighbor Jonathan Bush, 4, center, tastes some of his Pelican Aid lemonade to make sure it has the right flavor before serving it Saturday at the corner of Esplanade and Mystery Streets by Fortier Park in New Orleans. Jonathan, 4, says that all proceeds will go to help pelicans recovering at the LSU Veterinary Hospital.

The images on the evening news upset him, said Lori Bush, his mother.

Lori Bush told him he did not have to take that extreme a step -- plus she had planned to pass along his toys to a younger brother, eventually.

When the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association got word of Jonathan's plan, what started out as "a little bitty lemonade stand" turned into a much bigger fundraising effort, Bush said. People mailed checks to Jonathan. One lemonade customer dropped off a check for nearly $150 from four different businesses who had been collecting donations.

Jonathan, who made the lemonade himself, stayed busy pouring, collecting money and posing for cameras. Occasionally he took a break to sneak in a little play time and eat some gummy worms.

The donations will go to the group of students and faculty from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine working to care for the injured wildlife. While costs for visibly oiled animals are being reimbursed, a growing number of birds who ingested oil also need care, said Bush.

Bush said she hopes her son continues to respond to misfortune with compassion. "I would love for his first response to be: 'I want to help.' It's a wonderful lesson. I hope even at 4 he is internalizing this," she said.

By a little after 11 a.m., the small crowd around the stand was in high spirits and the cash box looked full. Bush estimated the effort raised more than $500 in total. With that success, the family felt close to calling it a day.